Confrontation of the arguments

Contra - "Future instead of review":

Pro - "Future instead of review":

Politically in terms of transportation systems the future is with the new, close-to-the-city large airport "Berlin Brandenburg International" (BBI), which may not be jurisdictionally endangered now. BBI is aligned to the future requirements of air traffic, it is efficient and competitive and besides a close-to-the-city airport.

The planning bases for the single air haven BBI (in the site of the former airport "Schoenefeld") originate from the early 90`s of the last century, incl. a prognosis which anticipates 17 million passangers for the year 2007, and 30 million passengers for the year 2023. For 2007 the prognosticated number was actually already exceeded in the year 2006: 18.506.506 passengers on all three airports: Berlin Tegel, Berlin Tempelhof and Schönefeld (Brandenburg).So it is already clear today that BBI cannot master the air traffic alone. Extension possibilities are not given by court orders: Two runways were accepted, more may not be built. Large airports have four and more runways. The statement that BBI is an airport aligned to the future requirements of air traffic, is not justifiable. The opposite has already been proven. Therefore the federal county of Brandenburg is already expanding its other airports Schönhagen, Eberswalde-Finow and Brandenburg-Briest!

It will prove a "job engine" and the city will promote economically.

The development of BBI establishes jobs, the senate is talking about 40.000 new jobs. We also do not want to doubt that. But why however is the continued use of the airport Tempelhof with at present approx.. 500 jobs to endanger BBI? Is Goliath afraid of David?
500 jobs in Tempelhof are 500 taxpayers in Berlin! How can 40,000 jobs in Brandenburg promote the city Berlin? The conversions and incomes of the enterprises at the air haven BBI go to the Brandenburg county´s cashflow! One may not forget that the resolution to expand airport Schoenefeld to the air haven BBI was made in the spirit of a unification of Berlin and Brandenburg (referred to as a "fusion" of the two counties), which however unfortunately failed then. With this background the citizens of Berlin`s decision for BBI were a bride gift that was not given back. But this fusion seems hopelessly far away now.

On the old airport area in Tempelhof new residential areas near the city center will develop, trade areas and leisure-time facilities for the citizens will be built. The people of Berlin will have new habitats here which other cities will envy.

In Berlin the housing market has a substantial overflow of apartments (approx. 160,000 to 185,000 apartments are empty) and trade areas with approx. 1.7 million m² are offered at present.
Allein das Flughafengebäude steht zu über 50% leer (ca. 130.000 m²). Und nun soll nach einer Flughafenschließung die Gewerbeflächen vermietet werden können?

More than 50% of the airport buiding is empty (approx. 130,000 m²). And now the trade areas are supposed to be profitable after the closure of the airport?
How stupid does the senate think the people of Berlin are?

Entire city districts became problem areas. What does Berlin still need more empty houses for? The "Hasenheide" park (near the airfield) for example, is only used by residents as a drug trading place and as a dog-discharging area. Drug dealers, who openly exercise their criminal business, are to be supplied with new customers? Criminality frightens people. Why still another second park - practically next to it?
Other cities already envy our airport in the city, our Grunewald forest and the "Müggelberge hills". They envy our water surfaces, steamboats, cultural variety, they envy our lust for life and the "Berliner Schnauze" (our Berlin slang). Altogether Berlin has 41% green -, water -, agricultural surfaces - they will not envy a further park!

The air traffic of Tempelhof airport was very important for the city in the past. But in the meantime the passenger numbers are declining, while numbers are rising in all the other places. The large airlines decided to use the other locations in Berlin. We have to care about new perspectives now.

After the resolution was made for the establishment of a "single air haven", Lufthansa shifted their flights to Tegel airport in 1995 and thereby forced the intent to close Tempelhof.
Since 2003 the Berlin Schoenefeld Airport ltd. (FBS) runs 100% of the business of the Berlin Airport Company ltd. (BFG). Acting members are in each case identical personnel, i.e. Dr. Rainer Schwarz is boss of the BFG as well as of the FBS.
(source: http://www.berlin-airport.de).

A goal of the FBS/BFG was and is the immediate closure of Tempelhof. In order to achieve this goal, each renting prospective customer and each airline, who wanted to approach Berlin Tempelhof was told by the BFG that the airport will be closed soon and thus remaining or investing would be senseless. Less of the preserved buildings are of any use but they have to be maintained and secured.
Not the market but the politics determines the passenger numbers. The airport could be able to work quite economically. Appropriate concepts were already drawn up and introduced years ago.